Partners
by MissyMo2005
Summary: Erin and Jay are partners, but there is something more between them and they both know it. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

Erin was so glad to get home, that day had literally gone on forever, her feet were killing her. And Halstead was acting all weird, she was going to ask him about it but she was so tired, she couldn't really be bothered. He'd get over it. Getting changed in to pyjama shorts and a vest top she walked back in to the kitchen. She was starving and she had nothing in her fridge apart from milk which didn't smell too great. She started rummaging through draws for take out menus. She couldn't be bothered to get dressed again to go and buy some food. She was interrupted from her search by a knock at the door.

"Voight, I swear to God if you're here to get me to work I will..." She opened the door to find Jay stood on the other side holding a pizza box. "Oh, hi Jay... Sorry I thought you were going to be Voight! Come in." She stepped aside to let him in. "You brought food, you are officially my favourite person ever!" He laughed as he set the box down on the coffee table "I also brought beer!" He said, producing a couple of bottles of beer from the bag he was carrying. "Yeah, definitely my favourite!" Erin laughed, taking the beer he was holding out.  
They sat together and ate the pizza. They didn't say much, knowing what the other was thinking. They'd had a rough few days at work and being partners they were close enough to see how it was affecting each other. Erin shivered as she finished her beer. The heating had gone off in her apartment and now she was wishing she'd got more than her pyjamas. Jay reached out and wrapped his arm around her without even thinking about it. She was surprised to start with, but in a good way. They'd always had a special connection, a bit of a spark. They'd never spoken about it but they both knew it was there. She felt a shiver run up her spine as his fingers brushed the bare skin of her arms. She leaned in closer to her partner, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt safe and comfortable with him, it felt right.

She lifted her hand from her lap and slowly touched the back of his hand. Her heart was racing, this was new teritory for the two of them. She didn't want to ruin everything between them, but she didn't know if they could just be partners, they had too much of a connection. As she ran her fingers over the back of his hand she twisted slightly so she could look at him. Resting her other hand on his chest she looked up and met his eyes. The stared at each other for a moment before Erin slowly leant forward, closing the remaining distance between them.

As their lips met Erin felt her doubt and apprehension melt away. There was no danger of Jay pushing her away. She felt his arms lock around her waist as she opened her mouth, her tounge meeting his. As she reluctantly pulled away from him to catch her breath he kissed down her neck. She giggled as she felt his stubble graze her neck, feeling him smile against her skin. Her hands were knotted in to his hair as she moved herself so she was straddling his lap. As their mouths met again Erin couldn't quite believe this was actually happening.  
She felt one of his hands slide up from her waist, moving to cup her breast. She let out a little moan as she felt the other hand slide under her top. She moved her own hands down from his hair to undo the buttons on his shirt. She undid them slowly and deliberately, releasing each one with a satisfying pop. Jay pulled back from kissing her neck to look at her. She smirked at him "Voight is going to kill me!" He laughed, but she could see there was element of fear behind his words. "You leave him to me, he's a softie really!" Jay raised an eyebrow at her "ok maybe not, but don't worry about it" she laughed and leant back down to kiss him.

She felt his strong arms lock around her waist as he lifted her up of the sofa without breaking the kiss. As he carried her back through her apartment and in to the bedroom she continued to kiss him, she couldn't quite believe this was finally happening. As he undid her bedroom door he tripped on the clothes she'd discarded on the floor earlier on, causing them to both fall on to the bed laughing. Seizing the opportunity she finished removing his shirt, admiring his muscular chest. He closed the gap between them again, flipping her over so she was lying on her back. "Hey, no fair Lindsay! You're wearing way more clothes than me!" The way he ran his eyes down the length of her body as he said it sent another shiver up her spine. "What you gonna do about it Halstead?" She winked at him.

* * *

Jay woke the next morning very aware of a warm body next to him in a bed that wasn't his. As the memory of the previous night came back to him he smirked. He looked down at his partners sleeping form, pulling her a little bit closer to him. He was so happy, just laying there next to her, their bodies pressed together he didn't think he ever wanted it to end. Eventually Erin began to stir in his arms. Propping himself up on his elbow he smiled down at her as she blinked sleepily at him. "Morning sleepy" he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Erin smiled up at him, her head resting on his chest. "Morning" she stretched up to kiss him. "I have to ask you Jay, last night you said Voight was going to kill you?" Jay shook his head, he wasn't sure he should tell her, he didn't want to cause a fight but he knew she wouldn't give up. "You gonna let me drive for once if I tell you?" Erin looked at him for a moment, pretending to consider it. "Maybe... Maybe not" Jay laughed, she was never going to let him drive but it was worth a try.

He sighed "promise me your not going to kick off?" She nodded at him, waiting for him to continue "last night he told me you were off limits... Basically told me I was out of intelligence if any thing happened between the two of us.." Erin was furious, what make Voight think he had the right. She was a grown woman. She took a deep breath. She'd promised Jay she wouldn't kill him, as tempting as it was. "Well then, I suggest we make sure he doesn't find out! I won't tell him if you don't" she gave him a little wink. Jay laughed. "Deal." They laid there, enjoying each others company, neither one of them wanting to get up. As Erin reached up to kiss him she was interrupted by a loud bang in the door. "Erin get your ass out here and let me in!" Voight's voice could clearly be heard on the other side of her front door. "Crap!"


	2. Chapter 2

They both froze. Erin thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to get rid of Voight. "Jay, get in the bathroom and be quiet!" She jumped out of bed, picking up Jay's clothes she thrust them at him as he went in to the bathroom and closed the door. She quickly got dressed and brushed her hair. As she went to the door she picked up the beer bottles, still on the coffee table from last night and chucked them in the bin. "ERIN!" She heard Voight yell again. "I'm coming! Have a little patience!" She called back to him. Looking around the apartment to check there was nothing obvious she went to the front door. "What do you want?" She said as she opened the door. "Well good morning to you too!" Erin just stood there, hands on her hips, waiting for him to spit it out. "aren't you going to let me in?" Voight looked past her into the apartment. Erin slowly stepped to the side, she just wanted him to leave! She followed him through her apartment and he sat down on the sofa, watching her. "So then, got any plans for your day off Erin?" Erin looked at him, he was up to something. "Nope, might head to the gym in a bit…" She wished he'd just spit it out, he hadn't come all the way there to ask her about her plans for the weekend. He looked as though he was going to say something but was interrupted by his phone ringing. "Voight." He answered shortly. "On my way." He hung up the phone, getting to his feet. "Gotta run Erin, speak to you later." He let himself out of the door as Erin tried not to look too happy.

After locking the door behind Voight she headed back into the bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door. "Halstead, get your ass out here! He's gone!" Jay emerged from the bathroom and immediately wrapped his arms around her. "Thank God for that!" He muttered in to her hair. Erin laughed, placing a kiss on his neck. "Now, where were we?" As Jay guided her back towards the bed her phone vibrated on the bedside table. She quickly checked it. Tell Halstead I will see him in my office first thing tomorrow. Jay had read it over her shoulder. "Shit!" He looked at her "How the hell did he figure that out?!" Erin laughed, "Calm down!" Jay was anything but calm. "I actually like my job! Getting killed by my boss wasn't high on my list of things to…" He was cut off as Erin pressed her lips to his. "shut up Halstead!" She laughed and went back to kissing him. He was successfully distracted.

Jay came out of the shower later on to find Erin in the kitchen. He smiled at her as he walked towards her. "Stop it!" Erin said, hitting him with the towel she was holding. "Stop what? I'm not doing anything!" He laughed. "You're looking at me like you've seen me naked!" He laughed even more "But I have!" she rolled her eyes at him. "Not the point Jay, not the point! Please don't judge me but I don't actually have any food at all, you're going to have to eat cold pizza for breakfast" She gestured towards the box, taking a slice for herself. "You are full of surprises! I can't believe you haven't got any food here!" He shook his head. "Hey! You promised you wouldn't judge me! Besides, when do you think I have time to go food shopping?" She punched his arm lightly. "And now you've judged me for my lack of food you're never getting to drive!" Jay gave her a look of mock hurt as he finished his slice of pizza. He looked to the side of her, spotting the car keys, he darted around her and grabbed them before she could even process what was happening. "We'll see about that!" He laughed, holding the keys up just out of her reach. She smiled up at him. "Give me the keys back or I'm not saving you from Voight!" Jay looked down at her, she was serious. Shaking his head he lowered his arm "Fine, you win!" he handed the keys back to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks everyone who's read and reviewed!**

"Jay, will you stop pacing, seriously you're gonna wear a hole in my floor!" She threw a cushion at him as paced up and down the length of her apartment. "I'm sorry! I'm freaking out a bit… I really like this job but now Voight is going to fire me!" Erin got up and stood in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Jay, seriously, relax. It's going to be fine. He won't fire you, he knows he will have me to deal with if he fires my partner. Now come on we need to get to work, I'll even let you drive to cheer you up!" Jay nodded holding his hands out for the keys. "Really?!" Erin looked at him, she pulled the keys out of her pocket as though she was going to give them to him, pulling her hand back at the last moment. "Just kidding! Get your backside in the passenger seat!" Jay shook his head "I'm gonna get you back for that!" She just laughed and walked out of the door.

When they finally reached work, Jay headed straight into Voights office without saying another word to Erin. Antonio raised an eyebrow at her as she sat down. She just shook her head at him. "Halstead! What part of the simple instruction I gave you did you struggle to understand?!" Voight's voice could be clearly heard from outside the office. Jay stood there for a moment, he didn't really know how to answer him. "Answer me Halstead!" Jay opened his mouth to speak as Erin came through the door. "Voight. A word." If looks could kill… Jay thought to himself. Voight nodded, signaling to Jay to get out of his office. As Jay walked out of the office Antonio shook his head at him "What the hell did you do man?" Jay shook his head as he sat down. Voight was actually going to kill him.

Erin was pacing up and down in Voight's office. "What the hell do you think gives you the right to dictate who I see?!" She snapped, spinning round to face Voight. He looked at her. "Erin, we both know it's not going to work out, and I need the two of you to be focusing on your jobs. If you want to date a cop there's plenty of other districts!" He yelled back at her. "This is none of your business. None whatsoever. Keep your nose out of my business. Why don't you try paying some attention to your son. You know, the boy who's just been released from prison?!" She spun on her heel and walked out the door, slamming it so hard the glass rattled. Antonio whistled quietly as she sat back down and started typing angrily. This was going to interesting.

"Halstead. Follow me. Erin, go with Antonio." Voight walked out of his office and snapped orders at them. Jay looked at Erin, who mouthed "I'm sorry" at him as he reluctantly followed Voight. When they arrived at their destination Jay went to get out of the car "Sit Halstead. You're going no where. Is that instruction to complicated for you? I know you have difficulty following instructions." Voight didn't wait for his reply. Jay wasn't entirely sure if Voight had brought him out there to kill him, judging from that it was definitely a possibility. His phone vibrated with a message from Erin 'Still alive?' Jay replied to her. 'At the moment, think he might have brought me out here to kill me!'

Erin laughed as she received his text. "Ok, seriously Lindsay, fill me in! What did Halstead do and why were you screaming at Voight?" Erin looked at him. "Voight told Jay I was off limits and then found Jay in my apartment…." Antonio winced "Poor Halstead!" He chuckled, poor guy. When her and Antonio got back to the station she was relieved to find Jay sat at his desk. "Where's Voight?" She asked him, Jay shrugged. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry he's doing this… I don't know what his problem is!" She dropped her voice to a whisper, putting her lips to his ear "I'll make it up to you later" she said, placing a kiss on his cheek and moving back to her own desk. "I'll hold you to that Lindsay!" Jay called to her. She laughed "Focus on your work Halstead!" She called back to him.


	4. Chapter 4

"You ready to head out?" Erin jumped as she heard Jay's voice behind her, she'd been concentrating and hadn't heard him come up behind her. "Good to go, lets get out of here." She shut down her laptop and grabbed her jacked, taking his hand as they walked towards the door. She could feel Voight glaring at them but she honestly didn't care. She unlocked the car and got in the drivers seat. As Jay sat in the passenger seat he started to moan. "I wish you'd let me drive! Not only will you not let me drive you had to save me from Voight!" Erin laughed "Still not driving Halstead, spare me the sob story!" Jay rolled his eyes "Fine!" he sighed.

They stopped and picked up some chinese food on the way back to her apartment, she still hadn't been food shopping. She followed Jay up the steps to her apartment wearily. Her and Antonio had ended up chasing some guy for miles and then he'd thrown her against the wall. Her legs were like jelly and her back ached. "Come on partner!" Jay called. She caught up with him and unlocked the door. She kicked off her shoes and flopped down on the sofa. Jay brought the food over and sunk down next to her. He handed her food to her before starting to eat his own. He was exhausted. He'd spent all day with Voight, being snapped at everytime he made the tiniest error. It had been exhausting. He looked over at Erin, she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder before she'd even had a bite of her food. He finished his food and scooped her up, carrying her through to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed before getting in next to her. She stirred slightly as he got into the bed next to her, draping one arm across his chest and resting her head on his shoulder. Screw Voight he thought to himself as he wrapped his arms around her.

Erin woke up in the middle of the night starving. She couldn't even remember getting in to bed. She slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake Jay. She went in to the kitchen and grabbed the cold chinese food she'd not eaten. She popped it in the microwave and went to sit on the sofa, burning her mouth as she quickly ate the food. She stopped for a moment as she heard a laugh from behind her. "Erin, what are you doing? It's 2am and you're sat there eating noodles!" He walked towards her, still laughing. "Oh shut up!" she threw a pillow at him and went back to her food. "This is why I tried not to wake you up, I knew you'd mock me!" He just laughed again, sitting down next to her.

Erin saw her phone flash and start ringing. She jumped up to answer it. "What Voight? This better be work related….. I'm on my way… don't bother phoning Halstead… he's with me." She heard Voight mutter something under his breath as she hung up. She turned to Jay "get dressed!" Less than five minutes later they were both dressed and in the car, heading to the address Voight had given her. Jay hadn't even complained about that fact she was driving. They parked up and headed over to where Voight was waiting with the rest of the unit. He gave them their instructions and Jay and Erin moved round to the door they'd been told to go through. Erin followed Jay through the door, weapon drawn and ready. They moved through the house, watching each others backs. As she reached the top of the stairs someone ran out at her, trying to escape, knocking her backwards down the stairs. Jay heard the thud of her hitting the floor and shouting as Antonio dragged the guy outside. "Erin?" Him and Voight both called at the same time, running over to where she was laying on the floor. "Ouch!" she muttered. Jay was trying to check her over, making sure she was ok. She slowly sat up, her head was spinning.

Voight spun round "What part of having her back don't you get Halstead? Are you stupid?!" Jay opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Erin pulling on his hand. "Little help here partner!" He took her hand and helped her up, wrapping his arm around her waist and helping her out to the car. He helped her into the passenger seat, taking the keys from her. As he got into the drivers seat she leant her head back and closed her eyes. "Hey, you ok?" She opened her eyes to find Jay peering at her concerned. "I'm fine, take me home… and enjoy driving while you can 'cause it's not happening again.." Jay smiled, setting off back to her apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Jay wrapped his arm around her waist as he helped her up the stairs. She winced as she felt the pain shoot up her left side. "Erin, are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital. She shook her head. "I just need some ice and a good nights sleep, I will be fine" she smiled at him. Once they got inside he sat her down and wiped the blood off her face, holding some ice up to her swollen nose. He grabbed some painkillers out of the bathroom cup board and gave them too her. He helped her in to bed before going to lock the apartment door. As he reached the door there was a knock, he opened it automatically and then wished he hadn't. "You! This is your fault Halstead! Your supposed to have her back!" Voight was livid. "Can you keep it down? Erin is trying to sleep. You can't blame this on me." He shut the door and locked it. He hoped Voight was going to get over this soon or his life was going to be hell.

He climbed in to bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She winced as she curled up next to him. She hurt everywhere. She smiled as she felt Jay gently place a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry, I should have had your back..." He whispered in the darkness. "Hey, this isn't your fault Jay, don't listen to Voight! There's no harm done.." He didn't answer her, he just carried on gently running his fingers up and down her back, listening to her breathing slow as she fell asleep as he nodded off himself. He woke an hour later to the sound of Erin vomiting in the toilet. He jumped out of bed and went to check on her. As she lent over the toilet he gathered her hair up out of her face and gently rubbed her back. As she went to stand up he put his hand on her elbow to steady her. As she turned to face him he saw she was as white as a sheet apart from the huge bruise around her right eye. "Come on let's get you back to bed an I will get you some water." She allowed him to guide her back to bed, greatfully taking the glass of water he appeared with moments later.

Jay was exhausted, he'd spent most of the night up and down with Erin, he'd suggested serveral times that they should go to the ER and get her checked out but she wasn't having any of it. Instead he'd kept quiet, holding her I'm his arms and pressing an ice pack to her swollen face. As he'd helped her in to the shower the next morning he saw the bruises that trailed the length of her body, a particularly bad one over her hip. Once she'd got out of the shower he got dressed and headed out to buy some food. They couldn't survive on left over Chinese food forever.

Jay lugged the bags of shopping up the steps. He hated food shopping. He walked in to the apartment "I'm back!" He called to Erin. "Good. Now you can leave." He flinched as he heard Voight's voice behind him. "I think you'd better leave." Jay gestured towards the door. He was exhausted and wasn't in the mood to play games with Voight. Voight walked towards him until Jay had his back against the wall and no where to go. Getting right in his face Voight glared at him. "If you ever allow any thing to happen to her again, I swear I will make you disappear. Got it Halstead?" Jay didn't reply, he stayed where he was until Voight stepped round him to leave.

He was in the kitchen making them both some breakfast when Erin limped out of the bedroom. "Ooh food! I didn't know you could cook!" She didn't think she'd ever even seen him make a sandwich before. "I'm not entirely sure I can!" He laughed, handing her a plate of eggs. He sat down opposite her and looked at her. He wanted to apologise to her again but she wouldn't let him. She was adamant it wasn't his fault, but Jay still felt as though he should have been able to do something to protect her, and Voight had made it very clear who he thought was at fault.

They had the next couple of days off, which Erin was glad of. She usually hated having time off work but she was glad to be able to lay on the sofa with Jay and watch tv. The bruise on her face was beginning to fade skightly but the one on her hip was still sore, she wasn't going to be up for chasing any criminals any time soon. Voight had tried calling her a few times. She'd ignored him. Although Jay didn't realise she'd heard Voight threaten him. She was going to have words with him when she got back to work. He needed to back off, what her and Jay were doing had nothing to do with Voight.


	6. Chapter 6

They headed back in to work two days later. Jay had tried to convince her to take a couple more days off but she wasn't having any of it. Jay had given up trying to reason with her, he knew Voight wouldn't let anything happen to her. They walked up the stairs together, hand in hand, to find everyone else waiting for them. Erin saw Voight glare at Jay, taking in the way their hands were linked together. "Halstead. With me." Jay shook his head, this was going to be a bad day. He followed Voight back down the stairs and got in the car wondering what it was going to be this time. Voight drove them around for a bit, before stopping outside an abandoned warehouse. "Get out." Jay got out of the car and turned to face Voight. He heard a crack and then felt the pain shoot across his face as Voight hit him. "You hurt her I swear to God Halstead…. If she asks you got hit by some junkie we were after.. Got it?" Jay nodded. He should have seen that one coming.

When they got back to the station Voight dragged the girl they'd been after inside. Jay headed up the stairs to wash the blood off his face. He was fairly sure Voight had broken his nose. So much for him getting over it. He bumped into Antonio on his way up the stairs "Halstead? What happened man? You look like crap!" Jay shook his head and Antonio nodded, filling in the blanks. He got to the top of the stairs and walked straight in to Erin. His nose was bleeding again so he hadn't been looking where he was going. She put her hand under his chin, guiding his face up. "Ouch! What happened?" Jay looked at her "Damn junkie hit me.." He muttered. Erin raised an eyebrow, not believing him. She dragged him into the toilets and started wiping the blood off his face. He winced as she brushed the tissue over his swollen nose. "We're going to have matching black eyes!" She winked at him.

Jay laughed and walked out of the toilets, arm wrapped around her. "Come on partner, lets get some lunch." They made their way back down the stairs, passing Voight on the way out. He looked as though he was doing to speak but the look Erin gave him made it clear it would be the last thing he ever said. They walked down the street, grabbed a couple of coffees and sandwiches before heading back. "Halstead, Lindsay. Get rid of the junkie." Voight yelled at them from inside his office. They went down stairs to release her as promised. Erin started laughing. "I'm sorry Jay, you expect me to believe she did this to you?" She gestured to his face "I didn't hit my head that hard!"

They sat in the front of the car and watched as the woman crossed the road in front of the car, heading straight into an alley to find a dealer. Erin felt the tears start running down her face. "Erin? Hey, it's ok.." Jay leant over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed her back, trying to work out what was going on. Eventually she stopped crying. She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Sorry…" Jay looked at her, "It's ok. You want to talk about it?" She looked at him for a moment "Later, come on lets go." She started the car and drove off. Jay could tell the subject was closed, it wasn't worth trying to push it.


	7. Chapter 7

When they got back to her apartment Erin headed straight for the shower. Jay frowned, she'd been virtually silent the whole way home, she definitely had something on her mind. He started cooking some pasta ready for when she got out of the shower. He was stood facing the oven when Erin emerged from the bathroom. She silently walked across the apartment and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Hey, you ok?" Jay asked her, turning round to face her. Erin nodded, "I'll tell you about it some time, just not now." Jay smiled at her, not wanting to push it. "Hey, this is mine! No wonder I have no clothes left!" He pulled on the collar of the blue shirt she was wearing. "Maybe thats my plan…" She winked at him. "Now hurry up, I'm hungry!" She punched his arm lightly. "Yes Ma'am!" Jay gave her a mock salute before returning to cooking.

They sat on her sofa, watching tv together. Jay hadn't wanted to push the subject with her again but he was curious. He's have to be patient, she'd tell him when she was ready. He rested his head on the top of hers, placing a kiss on the top of her head, content with just being with her. "How's your nose?" She turned to face him, gently placing her fingers to his face. Jay winced. He'd almost forgotten about it with everything that had gone on. She gently placed a kiss on his cheek. "Want me to kick Voight's ass?" He looked at her. "How'd you know it was Voight?" She laughed. "You've never been a good liar Halstead!" He laughed with her, she'd always been able to see straight through him.

Jay woke in the middle of the night to the sound of her crying. He flicked on the light and peered down at her worriedly. "Erin?" She turned to look at him, her eyes full of tears, and wrapped her arms round his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, waiting for her to speak. "That girl Jay… That could have been me… If Voight hadn't…" She stopped talking, pressing her face to his chest. "Shhh… It's ok Erin… Everything turned out ok… That's not you anymore…" He felt her stop shaking, she pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "I don't know what I would do without you." Jay smiled down at her "I don't know either, guess thats why we're such good partners." Erin smiled and reached up to kiss him. "So much more than partners.." She whispered in his ear.


	8. Chapter 8

Erin sighed, she'd been having a great evening with Halstead until Voight had shown up. They'd barely had 5 minutes to speak to each other for a week, they'd been so busy at work, she'd been really looking forward to spending some time with him. Now she was driving back from a bar having just threatened one of Justin's friends. Voight's timing was impeccable, as though he knew Halstead was there. He probably did, he had a way of knowing things. She pulled up outside her apartment and headed up the stairs. Since Voight had managed to ruin her evening she'd have to settle for a few beers on her own and some rubbish tv. Jay had made some excuse about having something to do. She unlocked the door to her apartment and wandered through to her bedroom to get changed. She came back out a few moments later and jumped out of her skin as she noticed a figure in the corner. "Jesus Halstead! You trying to give me a heart attack? I thought you were leaving?" She was glad he hadn't left, she was so used to him being there, he'd barely left since that first night.

He stepped towards her, the way he ran his eyes up and down her body suddenly made her every aware of how little clothing she was wearing. "I changed my mind, I can think of much better things I'd like to spend my evening doing..." He was relieved to see her laugh, the sparkle back in her eye. She'd been quiet ever since that night she'd sat and cried in the car, he'd been worried about her. "I hate to break it to you Halstead but I've got a date with a bottle of beer and a chick flick!" She sat down on the sofa, him moving to sit down next to her. "Oh God no please, not another girly film! Please, I beg you!" She laughed as he pretended to bed her. "You love them really!" Jay shook his head quickly. "Hell no Lindsay! You can't deny a man his right to drive and then force him to watch chick flicks! It's just cruel!" She laughed at him. "I'll say it again Halstead, no sob story is going to make me give you the car keys! Now shut up and watch!" He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't mind really, as much fuss as he made. He was just happy to spend time with her, even if it did mean sitting through hours of chick flicks.

He was woken up by Erin prodding him in the ribs. "Hey! Wake up! Is my company that bad? I didn't even get to hear the end of the film over your snoring!" She laughed, she wasn't really annoyed with him. "I do not snore!" She laughed at him. "Jay, the people in the apartment over the road could probably hear you! If your that tired you'd better head home, which would be a shame... But you know, I wouldn't want to deprive you of your sleep..." Her eyes trailed off over his shoulder in the direction of her bedroom. Jay grinned as she leant over to kiss him, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her back to the bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

Jay woke up the next morning to find Erin staring at him, smiling. "Watching me sleep Lindsay? That's a bit creepy! You're not going to go all psycho serial killer on me are you? 'Cos I've had more than enough of that for a lifetime!" Erin laughed at him. "You never know Halstead, you snore through the end of one of my favourite films again and I may well be tempted!" Jay looked at her, "I do not snore!" He said, rolling over and going to climb out of bed. "Hey, hey, hey, not so fast! We don't have work today!" She said, reaching across the bed to grab his arm. He thought for a moment, they'd been so busy at work he'd totally lost track of the days. "Well, in that case.." He climbed back into bed, wrapping his arms around her. She leant against his chest, wrapping her arms around him as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. She laid there quietly for a few moments, thinking, she knew what she wanted to say but she wasn't sure how to say it.

Eventually she broke the silence. "Jay?" she waited for him to answer, she wasn't entirely sure if he was still awake. "mmm?" He muttered, his face buried in her hair. "I was thinking, well wondering, if… if maybe you'd like to move in?" _Shit. That didn't come out right_! He was going to run off and leave her, she hadn't meant for it to come out like that but she was nervous. He was silent for a few moments. Her heart was racing, waiting for his answer. "I'd love to Erin, why were you so worried?" He laughed, placing a kiss on her lips. Erin looked up at him. "You're dead when Voight finds out!" He laughed. "I think I'll take the risk!"

Erin and Jay were in the process of unloading boxes of his things from their cars when Voight turned up. "What the hell is going on here?!" He demanded as he marched up to them. Erin turned round to face him "Jay is moving in." She saw his jaw clench and his hands go into fists "If you don't like it then feel free to leave." She replied coldly, walking towards the steps. As she reached the top she met Jay coming back down. "Voight is out there." She warned him. Jay groaned. "Play nice!" She warned him. She'd really hoped Voight would get over himself, he was the only family she had and she'd hoped he would be supportive.

Jay reached the bottom of the steps and looked around, Voight was no where to be seen. He was relieved, his nose was still sore, but it was sad too. Voight was the nearest thing Erin had to family and he didn't like the fact he was causing a problem. He shut the boot of the car and locked it. He met Erin at the top of the stairs. "Is that all of it?" He didn't answer her, instead scooping her up in his arms. "What the hell are you doing? Put me down Halstead!" She squeaked. "Carrying you over the threshold!" He replied, she laughed at him, resting her head against his shoulder. He smiled down at her, despite Voight's disapproval they were both happy.


	10. Chapter 10

"Cheers Dawson!" Jay called as Antonio drove off. Erin had left earlier on to run some errand for Voight and taken the car so Antonio had agreed to drop him off. "Hey!" Jay turned round as some one called out behind him. "Oh, Erin isn't here Justin" he said, before turning to walk up the steps. "Oh I know, guess where she's been all afternoon?" Jay shook his head. He wanted to punch him but hitting Voight's son would not be a good idea. "Justin, you are her friend, I have no problem with that..." Justin came towards him, getting right in his face. "She doesn't love you. She told me. That's why she's never said it. She spent the afternoon having dinner with me." Jay's hand came up and made contact with Justin's face before he could even process what was happening. He winced as he felt Justin hit him in the face a few times before everything went black.

Erin drove home slowly. She wasn't sure what Voight was up to. He'd sent her off to meet Justin, claiming he desperately needed her help. Justin had then spent the whole time flirting with her and had even tried to kiss her before she'd left. Then Voight had made her go to his house to pick something up but Justin wouldn't go with her. It was all very odd. She pulled up outside the apartment and notice something on the floor at the bottom of the steps. She got out of the car and slowly walked towards it. As she got closer she realised it was Jay. "Shit! Jay? Can you hear me? Jay?!" She didn't get any response from him, she quickly dialed 911.

She was sat in the hospital waiting room staring in to space. She'd thought it had taken an eternity for the ambulance to arrive but this was worse. It had been hours since they'd wheeled Jay's lifeless form through the doors and she'd heard nothing. She flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to find Voight and Justin stood there. "How is he?" Voight asked her. She shrugged, glaring at Justin who slowly removed his hand from her shoulder. As she glared she noticed the cut on his cheek and how bruised his knuckles were. "Justin! I swear to god if I find out this has anything to do with you I will personally put you in the hospital!" She went to slap him but her hand was caught by Voight. "I think you two had better leave." She said icily. Voight hesitated for a moment before heading for the door with Justin.

"Family of Jay Halstead?" Erin jumped to her feet as the doctor came over. "He's stable for now but he's got a long recovery ahead. You can see him if you like?" Erin nodded and followed the doctor down the hall. She held her breath as she took in the sight in front of her. His left eye was swollen shut and rapidly turning purple. He had a large cut across the top of his forehead, just below the hairline. His nose was definitely rebroken. There were various tubes and monitors attached to him, including one poking out of his chest. "Jay?" She whispered. She wasn't really sure if he was awake or not. "Mmm... Mum?" She hadn't even thought about calling his parents. "Jay, it's me, Erin..." He was quiet for a moment. "Jay? Was it... Was it Justin who did this to you?" She looked at him waiting for an answer. She couldn't even ready his facial expression because his face was so swollen and bruised. She was going to kill Justin, Voight too if he had anything to do with it.


	11. Chapter 11

Erin looked at her watch. It was 2am, she was sat in the corner of Jay's hospital room, watching him sleep. He hadn't said a word to her and she wasn't sure if he was angry with her for some reason or if it just hurt too much. She could see he was in a lot of pain, his brow furrowed deeply even while he was asleep. She'd seen him wincing every time he took a breath. She was still hoping it wasn't Justin who had done this to him, but she knew realistically it probably was. She was going to kill him. She had told him when he'd tried to kiss her that she loved Jay and had no interest in Justin at all. Clearly Justin hadn't taken it well.

She wandered out in the the hall in search of some coffee, she was exhausted. Voight was sat in the corner, he jumped up and walked towards her. "How is he?" She glared at him and kept walking. She wasn't sure if he'd known what Justin was up to, she knew he wouldn't give her a straight answer. She ignored him, grabbing a coffee and turning to head back to Jay's room. She pulled the chair closer to the bed, gently taking his hand. She felt the tears spill over her cheeks as she looked at him again. "I love you." She whispered she laid her head on the bed, keeping hold of his hand.

She was still holding his hand when she woke up the next morning. The nurse who was checking on Jay smiled at her, Erin tried to force a smile back at her. She looked up at Jay. He was laying there with his eyes closed, his face looked a little less swollen but the bruises were turning a dark purple colour. She ran her fingers over the back of his hand gently. She wanted to crawl on to the bed with him and wrap her arms around him but she knew it would cause him too much pain. So instead she sat there, gently holding his hand, praying everything would be ok. Eventually his eyes opened slightly and she felt his fingers tighten around her hand. "Sorry." He croaked out, it was barely audible. She smiled at him. "You've got nothing to apologise for." She kissed the back of his hand gently, resting her head back on the bed. She was exhausted.

Erin dozed throughout the day, being woken up frequently by doctors and nurses coming in and out of the room. She hadn't let go of his hand the whole day. Jay hadn't been sure what to think. If it hadn't been for her then Justin wouldn't have done this to him, he wouldn't be lying in the bed. But she was so glad to have her there, she was worth it. He'd heard her whisper those three words last night when she'd thought he was sleeping, and he'd realised that without a shadow of a doubt he loved her too. If he had to go through this all over again then he would. He wanted to tell her what he was thinking but it hurt too much to speak. He hurt everywhere. He'd have to be content with just lying in the bed with her holding his hand for a while.


	12. Chapter 12

"Halstead." Erin jumped to her feet as she heard Voight's voice. "I thought I made it clear you aren't wanted here." She turned to face him, spotting Justin behind him. "And you!" Her voice was getting louder as she moved towards Justin. "You and I need to have a chat!" She motioned towards the hallway. Justin followed her out of the door. "What's-" Justin was interrupted by Erin's hand connecting with his face. It was so much more satisfying than she'd imagined. "You might have thought you could beat the crap out of him and he'd just back off, but what you don't seem to be able to get in to that thick head of yours is the fact that I don't want_ you!"_ She'd walked towards him as she'd said it, backing him against the wall. He opened his mouth to speak again but she interrupted him. "Leave. Now." Justin hadn't ever seen her so angry, the side of his face still stung from where she'd hit him.

Voight had stayed in Jay's room while Erin had taken Justin outside. Jay was nervous, he wouldn't put it past Voight to finish what his son had started. He could hear Erin yelling at Justin outside. "Halstead, if you'd listened to me when I told you she was off limits then this would never have happened. I suggest you pack up your stuff, get out of her apartment and move to another district as soon as you get out of this hospital. Got it?" Voight was right up next to the bed, glaring at him. "I think you'd better leave." Erin stood in the doorway, arms folded, glaring at Voight. "Erin... You know he's no good for you! Why can't you see that?" Voight started walking towards her. He reached out to put his hand on her arm. She shrugged him off. "I don't give a crap what you think Voight. I love him! You can say what you like but until you accept it I have nothing to say too you!" She spat at him. Voight shook his head, moving towards the door.

"I'm so sorry" Erin whispered quietly as she sat in the chair by his bed. He took her hand and squeezed it. "Why are you apologising? If I'd said that to Voight I'd be dead!" He started to laugh and then winced as his ribs protested. Erin grimaced. She hated seeing him in so much pain. He kept trying to convince everyone, including the doctors and nurses that he was fine and ready to go home. He hated being stuck in bed with everyone fussing over him. Every time he so much as tried to get himself a glass of water Erin would push him back in to bed and get it for him.

Eventually, after three days stuck in the bed, he'd managed to convince the doctor to let him go home. Erin was on strict orders not to let him do anything but he didn't even care, it was better to be an invalid in his own home. He protested several times to no avail and found himself in a wheel chair with Erin pushing him out towards her car. He winced as she helped him in to the passenger seat. She drove slowly back to her apartment, noticing how he winced every time there was a bump in the road. "Smile Erin!" She turned to look at him. "How can you just act like it's all ok? This is Voight! He's not going to just leave it!" She pulled up outside her apartment. "Hey, it's going to be ok. He will get used to it, he cares about you too much to lose you over this!" He put his hand on her arm. "Now, come and help your crippled boyfriend out of the car!" She laughed, going around to help him. Eventually, they'd managed to get him up the stairs and on to the bed. She laid down next to him, careful not to touch his ribs, and he wrapped his arm around her. Erin fell asleep almost immediately. She was exhausted, she'd hardly slept the whole time he was in hospital. Jay smiled as she snored gently next to him. "I love you." He whispered in to her hair.


	13. Chapter 13

"Jay, I'm serious. If you don't shut up and do as you are told I am taking you back to the hospital!" He was driving her nuts. She'd known convincing him to stay in bed would be difficult but she hadn't expected this. He insisted on getting up and doing things, she'd even caught him trying to go out for a walk. He groaned. "I'm fine!" He insisted for the millionth time. She would have believed him too, but she'd seen the way he winced when he was getting dressed and she could hear him groaning in pain when he accidentally laid on his ribs during the night. "See this is why I haven't gone back to work! You're like a child that can't be trusted!" He stood infront of her, leaning on the kitchen counter. "I think it might have something to do with the fact you're avoiding Voight too!" He teased, being careful not to laugh, it still hurt his ribs too much. She pulled a face at him. She walked over too Him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Bed. Now." She said firmly. He winked at her. "Only if you come with me!" She rolled her eyes. "You are worse than a 15 year old boy!" She teased him but she was relieved his sense of humour had come back. The first few days he'd been at home he'd hardly moved from the bed. He'd just laid there and slept, only getting up to get his painkillers. At least the fact he was being a pain in the ass meant he was feeling better, no matter how annoying it was.

She'd just convinced Jay to get back in bed when there was a knock at the door. She went to open it, ready to slam it shut again if it was Voight or Justin. She was relieved to find Antonio stood on the other side. "Hey Antonio... Jay's actually-" she was about to say in bed when she was cut off by him walking up behind her. "I'm right here! Come in Antonio, how are you? Ooh beer!" Erin stepped aside to let Antonio through. She'd just about accepted the fact she was never going to convince Jay to rest, she didn't think she'd ever known him sit still. "You can't drink that! Remember what they said?" Jay groaned. "I'm not allowed to have any fun!" He whined to Antonio as Erin took the beer from him. Antonio laughed "you wait until your married man, it doesn't get any better!"

Antonio left a few hours later. Jay was exhausted. He kept trying to tell everyone he was fine but he still hurt more or less everywhere. He walked slowly towards the bedroom, dragging his feet and barely managing to keep his eyes open. Erin looked up from where she was laying in bed. "Jay?" He was a white as a sheet. She jumped up and grabbed hold of his arm, sitting him down on the bed as he started to sway a little. "What's wrong?" She put one hand either side of his face and looked down at him. She frowned as she felt how warm his skin was. "Come on, let's get you in to bed." She slowly began peeling his clothes off, the task made more difficult by the fact he was more or less a dead weight. Eventually she'd managed to undress him and haul him in to bed.

Erin laid there next to him, listening to every breath he took. She kept reaching out to feel his forehead, he was burning up. She'd tried to get him to drink something with no success. She didn't know what to do, other than take him to the hospital, but she'd got no idea how she was going to get him out of the apartment on her own. He was only half conscious and there was no way he'd be able to stand, let alone get up and walk down the stairs and to the car. She tried to call Antonio but got no answer. That only left her with one option. She dialed the number, not really sure what to expect. She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the voice on the other end of the phone. "I need your help, quickly!"

She paced around the apartment, waiting. After what seemed like an eternity she heard a knock at the door. "Thank god you're here. I don't know what to do!" Voight looked at her panicked expression, she didn't panic often. He'd been in two minds about going over there, she'd made her feelings clear last time he'd seen her and she hadn't been in touch since. But she was like his daughter, and he couldn't ignore her calling him in the middle of the night asking for help. "Erin, what is it?" He followed her back through her apartment to the bedroom. He took one look at Jay, lying on the bed wheezing and knew they needed to get him to hospital. "Get the other side!" He instructed Erin as he draped one of Jay's arms over his shoulder. Once they'd managed to pick him up between the two of them they quickly got him down the stairs and in to the back of Voight's car.

It took minutes to get to the hospital, Voight drove like a maniac, but Erin was thankful for it. Between the two off them they'd half dragged and half carried him in to the ER, where the doctors and nurses and quickly hurried off with Jay on a gurney. Erin and Voight had been ushered in to the waiting room. It was at that point where Erin realised she was still wearing her pyjamas and she was freezing cold. Voight took off his jacket and passed it to her, taking a seat next to her. "I'm sorry Erin." He could see how much she cared about Halstead, he'd figured it would just be a quick fling and he hadn't wanted it to interfere with work. He'd figured Justin would scare Halstead off and things could go back to normal. What he hadn't bargained on was Erin being totally in love with the guy.


	14. Chapter 14

Erin woke up with Voight shaking her gently. "Come on Erin, we can oh see him now." Erin stood up, stretching her neck. She'd fallen asleep on Voight's shoulder and now her neck was sore. She looked at the clock on the wall, it was almost 6am. She walked down the hall to find Jay, Voight's arm around her shoulders. She shivered and pulled Voight's jacket closer around her. She only had a pair of pyjama shorts and a vest top. Voight looked at her. "Give me your keys, I'll go get you some clothes" she half smiled at him, handing over the keys before turning to enter Jay's room. She felt the tears well in her eyes as she looked at him. He was lying in the hospital bed, nearly as pale as the sheets, with a range of tubes and wires attached to him again. She pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and took his hand. She sat there, watching him and waiting for him to wake up, listening to the beeping of the monitors.

Eventually Voight came back. He held out some clothes to her, which she took in to the bathroom. She resumed her position in the chair next to the bed. Voight stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder, as they both watched Jay, waiting for him to wake up. Voight felt bad, something he didn't experience often, Halstead was a good kid but Lindsay was like his daughter. No matter who it had been he would have disapproved. He vowed to make an effort from that moment on. He didn't think he'd ever seen Erin look at someone in the way she was looking at Halstead. Voight made a mental note to tell Justin to leave them both well alone.

Not long after Voight had come back Jay started to wake up. "Jay?" Erin looked at him, waiting for a response. He blinked several times, he couldn't work out where he was. "Ughh.. Erin?" He mumbled "I'm sorry.." Erin let out a sigh of relief, she'd been so worried about him. "Jay, listen to me. You're in the hospital. Me and Voight had to bring you back in. How are you feeling?" He tried to open his eyes and look at her properly but the light was blinding. "Crap." He muttered. His head was spinning. He closed his eyes again, hoping it might help with his pounding headache. "...home" he muttered. Erin didn't catch the start of what he said but she could guess that it was something to do with her taking him home. There was no chance of that happening any time soon, he couldn't be trusted to rest properly at home. "Hey Halstead?" Jay heard Voight's voice which just added to his confusion. "Mmm?" Voight laughed. "He's totally out of it." He said to Erin who laughed too, he turned back to Jay. "Stay in bed and rest ok? I need you back at work!" He didn't get any response out of Jay, who had started snoring. "I've gotta go kid, call me if you need me." He squeezed Erin's arm and left the room.

Erin sat with him all day. She was blaming herself for letting him push himself, she should have made him rest. She wasn't going to let it happen twice. After he'd fallen asleep that evening she gently placed a kiss on his forehead before heading home. She'd been avoiding it, the apartment was eerilie quiet without Jay she couldn't quite get used to being on her own again. She opened the fridge and stared inside, empty again. She missed having Jay in the kitchen with her, she wads surprised to discover he was a good cook, she'd had him down as the kind of guy who lived off takeaways. She couldn't believe how much she missed him. She was totally in love with him, she'd known they could never just be partners.


End file.
